


Between the Sky and a Hard Place

by magic713



Series: For the Greater Good [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Dark Percy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14358834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magic713/pseuds/magic713
Summary: When a goddess and a fellow camper goes missing, a group of companions set out to rescue them from the Titan forces. Demigods, both friend and foe begin to learn more about themselves and where they fit in this war. Set during TTC, after "Clash of the Demigods" and "Easing the Burden".





	1. Covert Mission

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is the next story in my Dark Percy series. It took me a while, but I am finally posting. I'd like to thank my beta on FF.Net, I Am Definitely Jeff Bridges, for helping me move through this fic, from correcting my spelling, to throwing in critiques and suggestions. Just a heads up, some story arcs of this version are going to be dropped, but I hope you enjoy the changes. I have some fun stuff coming up.

Percy closed the cell door behind him after checking on Annabeth. It had been a few hours now, and she still looked sickly. Her hair now had a gray streak in it and she was bruised being pinned between the sky and land. Percy had her moved to a better cell, with a bed, and a blanket to keep warm. She even had a window, albeit a small, barred window, so she could get sunlight. She was still unconscious but breathing evenly. He left her with a flask of water and some squares ambrosia for when she woke up.

 

Percy's heart ached as he remembered seeing Annabeth struggling to hold up the sky. And he felt a wave of anger as he imagined Luke putting her under there. Yeah, they were on opposite sides of the war, but this was Annabeth. The girl Luke had thought of as a little sister, the girl who wanted so bad to save them that the sirens tried to use it to lure her to her death. Seeing her so weak and helpless just felt so wrong. It had been bad when she'd been attacked by Polyphemus, but getting hurt in a blaze of glory like that was just like her. For her to be broken beneath the sky somehow didn't feel like it made any sense.

 

Percy stepped outside the fortress. Some demigods were arriving on Othrys today, and he was to meet them. After getting some distance, though, he heard a neigh, and looked up to see a black pegasus descend and land in front of him.

 

_Hey, boss,_ it greeted Percy.

 

“Blackjack, what did I say about calling me boss” Percy said, petting the horse.

 

_Sorry, boss,_ the pegasus said.

 

The pegasus had been a prisoner of the Titans on the Andromeda, and Percy found him when monsters were trying to restrain him as he panicked. Percy intervened, forcing the monsters to back away, as Percy stood between them. The pegasus was still anxious but Percy just talked to him. When he calmed down, Percy lead the him through the ship to the kitchens. It was there the pegasus first spoke to him. Percy decided to take him to his own area of the ship, away from all the monsters, and visited him for weeks to feed him and talk with him. Percy began calling him Blackjack, and one day, the pegasus took Percy for a ride around the ship at night. That night, Percy tried to set Blackjack free, seeing as how the ship had not reached their destination yet, so the horse wouldn't be able to tell anyone where they were or heading. Blackjack, stubborn as a mule, refused to go, and stayed as Percy's companion. Other demigods tried to sneak a ride with Blackjack, but he refused to allow them to ride him, and he would not go anywhere near monsters without Percy around.

 

While Percy was grateful for Blackjack’s loyalty, he also knew that he might feel confined on the ship, so when the _Princess Andromeda_ started sailing close to the shores, Percy told Blackjack he could roam the land and visit any time he wanted. And that invitation now extended to the base on Mt. Othrys, much to Blackjack’s displeasure.

 

_What’s wrong boss? You look terrible._

“I’ve had better days,” Percy said, sounding a little exhausted and annoyed, “Just saw an old friend.”

 

_That’s great! Why are you sad?_

 

“She’s a prisoner,” Percy stated.

 

_Who took her? We’ll fly up and rescue her._

 

“That’s the problem. She’s our prisoner. And she’s not looking so good.”

 

_Oh…so, do you still want to go rescue her?_

 

“It’s very tempting. But we wouldn’t get far. She’s really hurt and I don’t think it would be safe.”

 

_Maybe later?_ Blackjack asked, innocently.

“Heh, yeah, maybe later,” Percy said, patting the flying horse.

 

Percy took out some food from his bag and gave some to Blackjack, then waited.

 

Soon, he saw a dozen demigods walking up the mountain. While the bulk of the Titan army were monsters, more demigods who were either unclaimed or children of minor gods had begun filling their ranks. Percy took it upon himself to train them, as Luke had trained him. Once the Titan base began to establish, Luke had asked a handful of demigods to join them while the rest stayed on the Andromeda.

 

While Percy did not like the fact that more demigods were near these monsters, it did make him feel a little more at ease, knowing more kids like him were with him. That he wasn't surrounded solely by monsters. He told Blackjack to go graze, and he went to greet the new arrivals.

 

Once Percy saw them to their rooms, he went to one of the areas deep in the fortress. He opened the doors and saw a solar with some furniture and a fireplace. Percy saw Luke standing at the fireplace, staring at the flames. Luke looked very sick and a little pale and seemed to be seeking warmth from the fire.

 

“How is she?” Luke asked, not bothering to look at Percy.

 

Percy closed the door behind him, approaching Luke, “She’s resting. After what she’s been through, I wouldn’t be surprised if she sleeps through the whole war.”

 

“Good. Percy, I’m going to need you to-”

 

“How do you live with yourself?” Percy interrupted Luke.

 

“Percy,” Luke said, “what are you talking about?”

 

“What you did to Annabeth! I mean- she’s your friend,” Percy shouted.

 

“It needed to be done, Percy. Kronos needed his General free and we needed a god out of the way. I wish it wasn’t Annabeth, I really do, but it was and now it’s over,” Luke said, a little frustrated.

 

“And am I supposed to feel better about that? It was very underhanded.”

 

“You’re supposed to trust me, when I make these tough decisions that need to be made.”

 

Percy chuckled, “You know, Annabeth once told me it was a mistake to trust you. And right now, I’m not so sure she’s wrong.”

 

Percy turned to leave, “I…I’m not sure I can do this anymore. Is it even worth it now? The General, Kronos, all of it. And look at yourself. You look…I just don’t know if it’s worth it.”

 

“Percy,” Luke shouted, almost desperately, “I need you on my side.”

 

Percy stopped and turned to Luke, “I know. The prophecy. But I don’t even know if you need me now with Thalia-”

 

“No Percy. Not just in the war. I need your support. You’ve kept me level-headed. When I wanted to abduct demigods, you showed me they can be convinced to join peacefully. You’ve backed me and helped me with the more vicious monster wanted to take over.”

 

“Please, just a little longer” Luke all but begged.

 

Percy saw desperation in Luke’s eyes, and inhaled “Fine.”

 

“Thank you,” Luke said, “And Annabeth is safe here. Her suffering’s over.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Percy said.

 

“But there is something I need you to do. I just got news from camp that a quest has been issued, and the General is going to see who has taken it. I need you to go with him. See who’s with him and find out what they’re planning. And if you can convince Thalia-”

 

“Let me stop you there," Percy interrupted, "The last time we met, it did not go so smoothly. Blades were drawn, I got set on fire, it wasn't pretty.”

 

“I know you can convince her. You two have a lot in common. You could reach her.”

 

“Alright. Just give me some time to get ready.”

 

Percy got up and left. He walked down the hall and went to see some of the demigods. After talking to them and telling them of his assignment, he got two of them to stand guard outside Annabeth's cell. Percy passed them and walked in, see her still sleeping.

 

“Hey Annabeth,” he whispered, “I’m going to leave right now, but I just want to tell you I’m coming back and that you are safe. I got some demigods, like us, to protect you. I’ll try to be back soon, and I might even bring back a friend. But I need you to get better.”

 

He didn't know what he expected, but she didn't respond. After a minute he got up and left to prepare for the mission. 

 

\-----------------------

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Nico. He found out that gods were real and that he was a demigod. Seeing Thorn become a monster had been a little scary, but it was also cool that he was living in a world where creatures from his Mythomagic existed. And if he was a demigod, maybe he will have some special abilities. He already had a magical cap that made him invisible, which he got from one of the missing demigods while they were struggling against Thorn.

 

They even met a few gods: Artemis, Apollo (who gave them a ride to camp) and the wine guy Mr. D. It would have been a great day, if he didn’t almost get killed, and if his sister didn’t join the Hunters of Artemis. When they arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Bianca told him that he would have to stay at camp for a while, but she joined a group of girls who travel around, fighting monsters. When it was announced that Capture the Flag would be campers vs. Hunters, he did feel a little more motivated to win.

 

It was during Capture the Flag where he learned the power of the cap.

 

Thalia lead the group and put him out of the way, on border patrol. He quickly became bored, so he tried the cap on – and noticed his hands were missing. He looked into the stream and saw the reflection but he was not in it. After his team got decimated, some dead woman walked to the lead Hunter, Zoe, and said some weird prophecy for her to go on a quest to save her goddess. She decided to take the satyr, Grover, with her, and the demigod, Thalia. And she chose to take two hunters as well. One was a fellow hunter whose name Nico immediately forgot, and the other was Bianca.

_“Nico, you can’t come with us,” Bianca said._

_“But Grover said that that girl and boy might be there. They helped us,” Nico said._

_“And I am going to help them. But I need to know you’re safe here.”_

_“You’re lying. You just want to get rid of me. That’s why you joined those girls, right?”_

_“Nico-”_

_“Just go! It’s what you want. To get away from me.”_

That night, though, Nico had snuck out of the Hermes cabin and made his way through the camp, wearing the magic cap. He figured if he left now, he would have time to catch up to the questers. He went to the armory and grabbed the first dagger he could find, and went to the store to take some supplies, including a backpack to hold them in. He thought he might have to run to catch up to the quest, but he found the team standing around, talking about their quest. Apparently, the other Hunter became a victim of a camper's prank and would not be going with them. Rather than find another companion, they decided to leave with only the four of them. Nico followed behind them, as silently as he could and saw them getting into a white van. The back doors were open as Thalia and Zoe were talking and Nico took the time to sneak into van. The doors closed behind him and he put himself into a corner of the van as Zoe and Thalia got into the front seats and drove off away from camp, onto their adventure.


	2. Skeleton Growing 101

As Nico stayed in the back of the van, he did his best to avoid contact with the others. Not an easy feat in a vehicle. Luckily, Zoe and Thalia were in the front seat, so he only had to avoid Grover and Bianca.

 

After a few hours of driving, Nico was beginning to get very tired of hearing Zoe and Thalia argue. Every mile, the two found something else to argue about: from who got to drive, to the fastest route to the next destination. He could tell it was starting to bother Bianca and Grover as well.

 

At their latest stop, the group took this brief break to step out to stretch their legs and resupply. Nico took the opportunity to slip out as well as he snuck into the store. He stayed invisible as he moved through the rest stop and taking some snacks for himself. When he returned to the van, he saw the group gathered, as Grover told them that they needed to head to D.C. Once again, he was able to sneak in while they were discussing the plan.

 

Following Grover’s advise, the group stopped at a D.C. parking lot. After parking the van, the group got out and Nico waited a minute to follow them. As he trailed them, he did his best to remain hidden, which was quite difficult when he tried no to knock people over as he past them while invisible. He was able to see the group turn into the museum. Nico began to follow after, but he soon discovered he wasn’t the only one tailing them. He looked across the street and had an unsettling feeling, upon seeing the person watching them. Someone he hoped he would never see again.

 

Dr. Thorn.

 

\-----------------------------------

Percy entered the huge room, and saw in the center, a large patch of soil. Behind him, were two demigods, dressed in Greek armor resembling the armor from back at camp. He turned to them, and told them to guard the entrance. He looked down at the soil but he felt a chill down his spine when he felt eyes on him. Percy looked up past the balcony and saw the General sitting on a chair in the shadows on the floor above.

 

“Glad to see you can make it, son of Poseidon,” the General said, “Though I wasn’t expecting you to bring some of your fellow demigods with you.”

 

“Well, as tempting as it was to come here, with all the monsters to protect me, I feel more comfortable with them around,” he said, “I guess I prefer the company of people who think of me more of a friend, and less of a meal.”

 

“Hm,” the General said, “Well, keep them out of the way. I don’t need trouble from your ‘accessories’.”

 

Percy nodded and leaned against the pillar, keeping his hands in his pockets…on his pen. He waited until he saw the entrance doors open, as Thorn walked in. Percy knew there was a chance Thorn would not be gone forever, but one could hope. Back at Mt. Othrys, Thorn was very vocal in insisting Percy not attend the meeting but Luke was firm in his decision, and the General had not cared if Percy, a simple demigod, attended the meet.

 

As Thorn entered, he turned and glared at Percy, who just shrugged it off.

 

“Well?” the General said in a booming voice, breaking Thorn’s focus on Percy.

 

“They are here,” Thorn answered nervously.

 

“Where!” he asked.

 

“In the…um…rocket museum,” Thorn said. Percy chuckled a little at him.

 

“Something you want to say, demigod,” Thorn said, annoyed.

 

“Do you know who’s with them?” Percy asked.

 

Thorn continued to silently leer at Percy.

 

“Answer him,” the General commanded.

 

“That satyr-”

 

“Grover” Percy said almost quietly.

 

“Also the daughter of Zeus, in the punk clothes. And two Hunters. One with a circlet.”

 

“That one I know,” the General said angrily.

 

“Please General. Let me take them,” Thorn asked.

 

“No way. After what happened last time, I don’t trust you,” Percy said pushing away from the pillar looking up, “General, me and my men have been training for this. Let us get them.”

 

Thorn snarled and quickly turned his head to Percy, “You’re one to talk. After that stunt you pulled in the last mission, I think you’re the one who can’t be trusted.”

 

“If I didn’t stop you, we’d have nothing, instead of two demigods to recruit for later,” Percy retorted.

 

“Enough!” the General shouted, practically shaking the room, “Both of you failed to get me the demigods. Instead we got a child of Athena.”

 

“And that just worked out terribly for you” Percy whispered, spitefully, remembering Annabeth’s current situation.

 

“You had best be careful, Jackson. Your actions are a concern, and you are no longer the holder of the prophecy,” the General said, “Kronos still sees use of you, for now, but that can change very quickly. So, choose your words carefully.”

 

“We’re ready for this,” Percy said, motioning to the two humans in Greek armor, “Let us go and bring them in.”

 

“Ha!” the General said, looking over the two other demigods, “They might make good body guards, but they’re nothing compared to the forces I’ve gathered. Behold.”

 

Two mortal mercenaries planted teeth into the soil. Percy watched nervously as he saw something emerge from the areas where the teeth were planted.

 

However, Percy struggled to stifle a laugh, when he saw that what emerged were cute kittens. The General berated his guards, loudly, before ordering them to get the correct teeth. The General jumped from the balcony and Percy and everyone else had to hold their balance when her landed on the marble floor. The floor was cracked, but the General was uninjured. Once the General was given the right teeth, he planted them in the ground, and watered them. Percy watched, unsettled, as skeletons began to emerge from the ground and stood ready for their orders.

 

“Now, once they have the proper scent, these things will not stop until they get those annoying campers,” the General stated. He motioned for something and a dracaena threw down a silver scarf that appeared to resemble the ones the Hunters wore. But before the scarf could land in the General’s hand, it suddenly moved in an unpredictable fashion, before vanishing.

 

The General’s eyes widened, “What?!”

 

“Intruder!” Thorn shouted.

 

Percy’s eyes widened, thinking of the one person he knew who could go invisible. But he quickly gathered his bearings, remember that it couldn’t be her.

 

The mercenaries searched the room as Percy took out his magic sword and looked at his soldiers, “The guy’s invisible. Be careful. He’ll head for the doors.”

 

The demigods stood in combat stance and as they moved, one of them turned around quickly, grasping at something. As he was struggling, Percy and the other demigod ran to assist, but the half-blood was thrown down and the doors closed, with the intruder gone.

 

Looking disappointed, Percy helped the kid up.

 

“He got away,” Percy stated.

 

“Not for long,” the General said, walking towards them. He stopped and looked down something that wasn’t there before: a group of Mythomagic cards laying around the room.

 

“He must’ve dropped them on way out,” Percy said.

 

"Yes, and now we can get back to work," the General said, crouching down to examine them. "He is probably with the others by now," he continued, as he held out one of the cards for the skeleton warriors to smell, with a smile that Percy didn't like the look of. "We will find him and his friends in no time." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we have the second chapter. More changes are coming up, so be sure to keep an eye out. If you have any thoughts or opinions of the fic, feel free to send a review. Thanks for reading.


	3. A Cat In Serious Need Of Declawing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets into his real first battle.

 

 

**Chapter 3**

Nico ran as fast as he could through the door of the Air and Space Museum, and kept running until he collided with someone, knocking the cap off.

"What the-" Thalia said, with widen eyes looking down at Nico as he was getting up, "You! What are you doing here?"

"Nico!" He turned to see his sister looking at him with mix of shock and anger. Nico was inhaling and exhaling rapidly. His jacket was torn open from his struggle with the demigod kid, and he felt disappointment as he felt his pockets and noticed he dropped some of his Mythomagic cards during his escape. But he couldn't worry about that right now.

"Your brother followed us," Zoe asked.

"I swear, I didn't know," Bianca answered.

"Guys, we've got bigger problems," Nico said.

"More important than someone hijacking our quest?" Zoe said.

"Try 'walking skeletons' important."

"What? Explain, now!" Zoe commanded.

Nico explained everything he saw. He told them how he followed them; how he discovered they were being tracked by the titans; and that he eavesdropped on their meeting where he saw the boy who saved him and Bianca.

"Percy," Grover cried in mix of melancholy and hope, "You saw him?"

"Yeah," Nico answered, "But he was talking to Thorn, like they were working together."

As Grover's face went from hopeful to saddened, Thalia grabbed Nico's shoulders, so his eyes were locked on her own, "Was Annabeth with him? The blond-haired girl whose hat you took."

"No, I didn't see her," Nico said, "But I did see some big guy that they called the General. I never had his card before."

"It could not be the General," Zoe said, seeming unsettled, "You must be seeing things. An iris message perhaps."

"It was real," Nico said, "I saw him jump from a balcony, onto a marble floor and I could tell the floor was more damaged than he was. Right before he summoned those skeleton things."

"We do not have time for this," Zoe declared. "Skeletons are the worst. We must go."

"After you," Nico said.

"I was not talking to thee," Zoe said.

"Nico, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into," Thalia said, annoyed and a little concerned.

"We can't just leave him," Bianca said, "We have to take him back to camp."

"There's no time. The solstice is approaching," Grover said.

"Then we call Chiron to send someone-"

A roar echoed through the museum and the group looked to see a huge four-legged giant feline with golden fur. Nico recognized this monster from Mythomagic. It had plenty of health, very high defense, very rare card and very valuable: the Nemean Lion.

"Don't move," Zoe commanded, as the lion slowly approached them "On my mark, separate. And try to keep it distracted."

"Nico, you stay back," Bianca said.

"No way!" Nico responded.

"We will need all the help we can get. Get ready, kid," Thalia said. Nico nodded. At Zoe's signal, they all jumped in different directions, with Thalia, the closest to Nico, pulling him away with her.

"Do you have a weapon?" Thalia asked, looking at Nico. Nico pulled out the dagger he took from camp, and Thalia looked down in disappointment, "Alright, fighting is second nature to us, so follow your instincts, and stay out of the way of those claws."

"'Don't get hit by claws.' Good tip," Nico said, with sarcasm.

Thalia ran towards the lion as it was fighting off the vines Grover was summoning. Nico reached into his pocket, only to find the magic baseball cap missing. He looked around and saw the hat lying in the middle of the battlefield. He looked up to see his sister and her commander on top of one of the rocket models above, firing arrows at the lion, but none were penetrating the fur. Nico saw to lion back up as Thalia raised her shield. The two circled each other.

"We need its mouth to open," Zoe shouted to Thalia. The lion stopped, with Nico standing behind it as the lion prepared to pounce its prey.

"Hey!" Nico shouted to it, and took his dagger, trying to stab its heels.

"Nico, stay back," Bianca shouted.

"Kid, don't-" Thalia screamed, but it was too late.

The lion suddenly turned and swiped its paw, missing Nico as he fell backwards, dropping his blade.

Nico found himself pinned to the ground as the lion leered down at him, opening its jaws as it lowered its head. Thalia tried to stab the lion, but it seemed to completely ignore her as it was focused on its prey. Nico could hear Bianca scream, and he felt to hot breath from the lion's maw. Nico tried to feel around for a weapon, and he felt his hand land on something. He felt the object was sharp and grabbed it and quickly jammed it into the roof of the lion's mouth, and it was pinned to the bottom jaw, jamming the mouth open. The feline backed off him, roaring in pain, as it struggled to remove the splinter holding open its jaw. An arrow flew right into its mouth and it dissolved, leaving behind a pelt.

"Nico, are you okay," Bianca ran to him.

"I'm fine," he answered, shaking her hand off him. He looked down and saw the object that was in the lion's mouth. It was a perfectly sharp marble rock, shaped like a broken tip of stalagmite. He picked it up and looked as it but the shard suddenly dissolved in his hands and disappeared as it hit the ground.

"What was that?" Grover asked.

"I don't know," Nico answered.

"I guess you can pack a punch," Thalia said, as she handed Nico the magic cap.

Zoe picked up the lion pelt and it transformed into a jacket, just his size.

"It didn't disappear," Nico stated.

"It's a spoil of war," Zoe said, holding out to Nico, "It's yours."

"But why?" he asked, as he hesitantly accepted it.

"You saved us," she simply said.

"But you killed it?"

"And you warned us about an impending attack and kept its mouth open long enough to kill it. You earned it. And you will need it for the quest."

"He can't come," Bianca interjected, "He's only ten and he doesn't know what he's doing."

"He helped us slay the lion. He's earned his place among us," Zoe stated.

"He's just a kid," Bianca whispered.

"We're demigods," Thalia stated, "We all grow up fast."

"But-" Bianca began.

"Bianca, I'm coming," Nico said, firmly.

"Nico, please go back-"

"You don't get to tell me what to do," Nico said, defiantly, "Not anymore."

"Guys, please-" Grover began to plead, but he lost the words and his eyes widened as he looked to the door.

The others turned to see a bunch of transparent men in army uniforms walking through the doors, approaching them.

"We have to go," Zoe said, before looking at Nico "And he's coming with us. He's our fifth member and no one is getting left behind. Now let's move!"

* * *

Percy looked through the window across the street, down at the skeletons who began moving into the museum. He saw the questers escape from a different exit and run off.

"They got away," Thorn was telling the General.

"No matter," the General said, "My warriors will track down the demigods to the ends of the Earth. Besides, we know where they are going. Even if they evade the skeletons, they're doomed the second they reach their destination."

The mercenaries were packing up their equipment, getting ready to travel.

"Jackson," the General said, "We are to return to base. Hurry up."

"I'll be there in a minute," Percy said, and went to talk to his fellow demigods.

"James," he said to the one demigod. James was an unclaimed demigod, and one of the first demigods recruited after Percy joined Luke. He was almost an inch taller than Percy and had short cut brown hair.

"What do you need," he said casually, as he was nursing the wound on his cheek, where Nico punched him during the escape.

"I have an important mission for you. I need you to follow the campers and tell me what they are doing."

"That's it? You want us to do simple reconnaissance?" James asked, slightly offended.

"Well, if you have an opportunity to capture them safely, then sure. But don't hurt them," Percy said.

"With all due respect," James said, "The General told you that the demigod, Thalia, is the only one he needs. Shouldn't we try to capture her?"

"You won't be able to capture her without needing to fight the others," Percy explained

"So?" James said, with some annoyance. Percy looked down and took a deep breath. He knew James was eager, and that he had a fragile pride, which was wounded when the intruder gave him a good strike to the face before escaping.

"Samson," Percy said to the other demigod.

"Sir," Samson answered. He had blond hair, and brown eyes, a typical feature of Demeter's children. He stood up straight, waiting for Percy's command. Samson and many other younger demigods who joined him had grown a respect to him. Despite Percy insisting they be less formal, he soon gave up on correcting them. Trying to stop them from calling him 'sir' was about as successful as trying to stop Blackjack from calling him 'boss'.

"You should go pick up some supplies. I'm probably going to send two more recruits, so be sure to pack for four," Percy asked.

"Yes, sir," Samson said and hurried out, leaving James and Percy to talk.

"We can take them," James insisted, "You said yourself. We're ready to fight. Let us fight the enemy-"

"They are  _not_  the enemy," Percy said, "They are being misled by the Olympians and are innocent, like many of us were. You will not hurt them. Understand?"

James grumbled a little, "Understood,  _sir_."

"OK," Percy said, "The General said that the skeletons won't stop tracking them, so you should follow those things. Just keep your distance and tell me if you have any news. And if you can't follow the monsters, Samson can use a tracking spell to find the campers. I need you in command. The others respect you and I trust you to get the job done."

"Jackson! Move!" the General shouted.

"I'll send some reinforcements," Percy said, as he was grabbing his stuff.

"Sure," James said, in a subtle flippant tone as Percy left.

Annabeth searched around the room for some sort of weapon, or something she could use to escape. After some time after Percy left, she had gained enough strength to explore her surroundings. She was given a mattress for rest and a chair and a desk with some paper and charcoal. The room was lit with two torches elevated too high for her to reach, and she was given a small window high up as well, which was completely barred. She only saw sunlight at dawn, but it didn't stay out for long before hiding behind the overcast around the area.

She heard voices outside and quickly got back onto the bed, and prepared her meek appearance before the door was opened by the guard and Percy walked in with a plate of food and some water.

"Hey Wise Girl," Percy said lightly.

"You're back," Annabeth stated, bluntly.

"Yeah, I had to see how the quest was going," he explained, as he set the plate on the desk, and pulling the chair up, handing her water, "So Thalia, Grover, some Hunter that the General hates, and those two kids from Maine are on the quest to save Artemis."

Annabeth took a sip, but remained silent, looking away.

"Look, I'm sorry for this-"

"What's your plan," she suddenly asked.

"Well, for now, the titans sent skeletons to chase down the heroes and I sent some demigods to track them," Percy explained.

"No, Seaweed Brain," she said, annoyed, "I mean, what is your plan. You said you want to bring down Olympus, but you want to 'help' us demigods. And I can clearly see that you don't agree with the titans. So, what's your plan? Because from what I see, it won't work," she said.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Well, firstly, you can't play both sides. You and I both know the titans are far worse than the gods. Yes, you said the gods use us, but the titans and their monsters want to  _kill_  us. There's no way that you'd stand by as camp gets attacked by these monsters."

"That won't happen," Percy exclaimed.

"Yes, it will, Percy. It's stupid to think you can keep this war away from camp. And I doubt you could live with that."

"Well, maybe if it was just Clarisse," he said, jokingly, rubbing the back of his head, "I owe her for the bump on my head she gave me last summer."

"Actually, that was me," Annabeth said softly.

Percy's eyes widened.

"You?"

"Yeah. I figure if we made land with the Fleece, either Clarisse would try to kill you, or you would try and betray us. So, I knocked you out and saved us all from doing something we might regret," she explained.

"Wow, that's low, Wise Girl," he said.

"Well, we got the Fleece, you didn't betray us and we're all alive, so…"

"Glad to know you care."

"Percy, I am serious. I might not be an oracle, but in this war, you will have to choose a side."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," he said, as he began to leave.

"Luke has made his choice. You will have to as well."

Percy said nothing as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Annabeth got out of the bed, and took the plate, spilling out the food and moved to the prison door, this bars on it. She raised the plate, using the reflection to see if there were guards watching outside the cell, and once she saw the coast clear, she put the plate out further through the bars to see down the hallways for anything to help her find an exit. She saw a hallway door open, letting in some natural light and quickly pulled her plate back and moved to the chair at the desk before anyone could see.

She now had an idea of the immediate layout, beyond her cell. It was the best she was going to get. Now she had to wait for the right opportunity to present itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had some fun writing it. Thanks for reading it.


	4. What Needs To Be Done

Percy searched around the halls for Luke, carrying a few photos. Ever since Chris had vanished, searching for the labyrinth, Luke had sent others to find out his fate, while he and Percy were setting up and preparing for war at Othrys. When Percy received the photos from Luke's spies, he went to look for Luke in his room, but it was empty, along with the training room, the library, and other rooms Luke had frequented, lately.

Percy finally found Luke, staring outside a window in some random guest room. Luke made no indication whatsoever that he was aware of Percy.

"Luke?"

The young man turned his head to his friend, "Sorry, Perc. Just thinking."

"What'cha looking at?" Percy asked, stepping into the chamber.

Luke moved out of the way and Percy looked out the window. He had a good view of the San Francisco layout, but Percy knew what he held Luke's attention the moment he saw the tree bearing golden fruit, and guarded by the multi-headed dragon, Ladon.

"It's so bizarre," Luke said, "After my quest, I swore never to lay eyes on that accursed thing again. And now it's my next door neighbor."

"Right. Your first quest," Percy recalled.

"First and only. And a total failure. I almost died, trying to get that stupid apple."

"What was even the point?"

"My father said it was to prove myself a hero. But I knew. It was just some twisted game to see if his son could pull off a feat, like the great Hercules."

Percy heard the bitterness in his voice, as Luke subconsciously touched the scar on his eye briefly. He knew it was a touchy subject for Luke, and he really understood his frustration.

"I'm not even sure you'd even consider it a real quest," Luke continued, "It was such a trivial task. My father had to issue it, instead of the oracle."

"Didn't you have any companions to go with you?"

"No one that I'd trust to help. The only people I'd have trusted enough was a girl I thought too young for me to see perish. The other was a friend who was too busy being a tree, herself," Luke answered.

"You think they could've helped?"

"Honestly, in hindsight, I am glad I was alone. I barely escaped from the quest alive, and if they had been there, I…I don't want to think about the possibility that they died just for an insignificant apple."

Percy nodded, looking back at the tree. It was just another reminder of why they still fight. So no one would have to go through what Luke did at a god's whim.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me?" Luke said, snapping Percy out of his thoughts, seeing Luke looking at the photos in Percy's hand.

"Right, well, these photos were taken by one of the lookouts in San Francisco. I think you should see this."

Percy placed the photos down on the desk and Luke looked at them. They were a picture of a man, who seemed unimpressive. But then Luke looked at one of the man from his left side, catching a glimpse of a tattoo on his neck.

"This is incredible," Luke said, "We wanted a way to control the labyrinth, and now we found our navigator."

"So what are we going to do once we find and navigate the labyrinth? Are we going to attack Olympus?"

"Unfortunately, Olympus has always been disconnected to it. But it can go other places, such as camp. Right pass the barrier. We could get information from our spies much more easily."

"And that's it, right?" Percy asked, sounding concerned.

Luke paused and looked up, seeing the worried Percy.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you. Some people do think that this discovery could help us create a front line for a battle."

"No," Percy firmly stated.

"Percy, just listen-"

"No Luke. I am not even going to entertain the idea that we are attacking camp."

"The titans might disagree on that. Demigods are the strongest weapons of the gods and if we-"

"Are you kidding me!" Percy said, "I joined you because we're being used by the gods. All of us. And I stayed because we are trying to save the others. And now you want to attack them. Kill them!"

"It's not so simple-"

"Then how's this for simple?" Percy said, "If you decide to attack camp, I'm gone. I won't help you murder them for these monsters. Most are just kids, needing a safe place to be home. It was our home at one point, and I won't be a part of destroying it."

Luke rubbed the bridge of his nose, inhaling. He stayed like that for a few moments, before looking at Percy.

"Yes. You're right. I just want this war to be over. Thanks for keeping my head on straight."

"Anytime," Percy softly said, before looking back at the photos, "Now, what about him?"

"We should keep our distance, for now. If he does know the maze, he could easily slip into it when we aren't looking and we might never hear from him again."

"Sure. So approach with caution."

"Exactly."

* * *

After arriving in the freezing ski town, the questers needed to find a way to get further west. They were fortunate enough to have Apollo's help getting them so far, but now they needed a new ride.

However, none of this was on Nico's mind, as he was trying to block a blow from Thalia's spear. She swung it again and Nico once more tried to block it, but Thalia quickly pushed him down onto the ground and kept him down at spear-point.

"Dead," she said, pulling away her weapon.

"C'mon Thalia, aren't you being a little hard on him?" Grover asked.

"He needs to be ready," Thalia answered, "I need him to be prepared for anything."

"Hey, I was a big help with the lion," Nico pointed out.

"Yeah, you just needed to pretend to be lunch until your lucky powers kicked in," she said sarcastically, "Blind chance is not the best skill to have in a fight. Now, if you could summon that weapon, like you did before, then I'd feel safer."

Nico had tried to summon the weapon again on their trip a few times, with no luck.

"I think I've got the picture-"

"No, you don't," Thalia said, in aggravation, "This isn't your card game. This is your life now. One mistake, one screw up, and you and your companions are dead. Those demigods you saw, they are the enemy. We will most likely have to fight them, even kill them, or they will kill us. Do you understand?"

"What about the other kid, Percy?" Nico asked, "He saved my life. He-"

"He's a traitor," Thalia said, causing Grover to flinch, "He is no better than the monsters he works for."

"Um, Thalia, I wouldn't go that far," Grover said, meekly, "He saved me, and he did help Nico and Bianca. Maybe we can talk to him."

"He had plenty of chances to surrender. Next time I see him, he won't get away," she said, firmly.

Grover lowered his head, and walked off.

"Will he be alright?"

Thalia's expression softened.

"Grover told me he and Percy have or had an empathetic connection over the summer. He's too close to him," Thalia explained, "I think we've trained enough for now. Why don't you try and help Grover find a way out of this town."

Nico talked with Grover and began helping him collect acorns to prepare a tracking spell, when he saw someone step up in front of him. He looked up and saw his big sister looking down at him.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"You can do whatever you want. You made that perfectly clear," Nico said turning back from her as he continued his search.

"Nico, you need to understand, I needed to do this. I couldn't constantly watch over you."

"You saw an opportunity to ditch me and you took it. I get it," he said, his voice displaying annoyance.

"Look, we just found out we were demigods. I had enough responsibility when it was just us without the monsters. Then we were attacked and I was offered the chance to be free of it."

"Free of me, you mean. That's what family is, something you just abandon the first chance you get."

"It wasn't like I left you on the side of the road and drove off. You were going to camp, where you would be with kids just like you. You'd be living the life like you always wished in Mythomagic. You were taking this whole news so well, and I was just terrified."

"Well, you got your freedom. You no longer have to be my big sister so I hope you're happy. I don't care how you try to rationalize it, you just-"

Suddenly, Nico and Bianca felt a warm spring breeze pass by them. The sudden shift of winter to warm air startled them and they saw Grover stand before collapsing. The group gathered around Grover as Bianca tried to wake him. Nico saw Thalia arm her spear.

"Be ready," she commanded Nico, "We have to go."

The questers moved to the edge of town, supporting Grover, before two skeletons appeared. Thalia activated her bracelet, producing a shield to block the bullets from the skeletons' handguns. Bianca and Zoe armed their bows as Bianca commanded them to back away. But Nico felt something was wrong. Just then, two more skeletons appeared behind them, surrounding the group.

Grover was sprouting words, like a crazy satyr. Something about the Wild.

"We're going to have to fight them. One for each of us," Thalia said to the group, before looking at Nico, "I guess we'll see if you're ready."

The group charged at their individual opponents. Nico charged, using his natural agility to prevent the skeleton from shooting him, as Thalia advised during training. He struck the skeleton with his dagger and cut off his arm and it dissolved in the ground. Nico went for another strike, but something slammed into him from behind, knocking him off his feet.

He looked up to see one of the demigods from the museum standing over him, his bruised face glaring down at Nico. Behind him were three more demigods and he knew their chances went from slim to abysmal.

"Go, take care of the others. We only need Thalia," he commanded.

"James," the blond demigod said, "Jackson said he wanted them all alive and unharmed."

"And the General said their lives didn't matter. I think I'll take my chances with Jackson."

"But-"

"Do as you're ordered, Samson," James said in a dark tone.

One of the other demigods placed their hand on Samson's shoulder and guided him away to the other fighters.

The others went to fight their opponents, and soon Thalia and Zoe were fighting off three demigods and one skeleton, while Bianca was fighting two skeletons, leaving Nico fighting against James and a one-armed skeleton.

"It was you at the meeting," James said, "You left a little beauty mark. Let me return the favor."

Nico quickly got up and prepared to fight. He easily pushed back the skeleton, but James was no push over. I one swift motion, James was able to slash Nico's back. Nico knew he was done for…if not for the Nemean Lion jacket. He felt the impact of the sword, but he was completely unharmed.

Despite his advantage, Nico began to back up to the group as he began to feel the ground shake beneath. He heard movement in the trees and knew something was coming. One skeleton was on the ground in pieces, but was quickly pulling itself back together. Nico tried to warn the others, but could only watch in shock as one skeleton lunged at Bianca. But she pulled out a hunting knife and plunged it into the skeleton's chest, causing him to burst into flames and turn to dust, similar to the arm Nico cut off from the other skeleton.

"How did you do that?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know," Bianca answered, "Lucky stab?"

"Well keep at it."

The other skeletons began to back off as Bianca prepared for another attack, but the other demigods were not as scared.

"Give it up," James said, "You're finished."

He looked like he was about to say something else, or maybe just attack, but he was interrupted by a loud roar as the trees behind him shook and a huge pig appeared from the trees.

"A Gift," Grover said.

The questers scattered as the boar charged, sending some of the foes flying through the air, behind the tree line. James shouted in anger and tried to attack the giant swine, but he was quickly tossed away as well.

The boar continued to squeal and rampage as the questers tried to stay out of its way.

"If this is a gift, can we return it?" Nico asked.

"How it this a blessing?" Bianca added.

The wild boar was rampaging all over the field, trying to run any of the questers down. Thalia brought up Aegis, hoping to scare it and it seemed to work, since now the boar's fear and rage was focused on her and Nico, who was unfortunate to be next to her.

The two ran from the boar and the boar began to gain ground on them. Nico berated himself for not training harder. Maybe if he had tried, he could do more with his powers. He had a very sudden, and pretty risky idea. He abruptly stopped and Thalia soon slowed down to look back to him.

"Nico, what in Hades are you doing?"

Nico turned to the boar and he remembered the feeling he had when he fought the lion. It's jaws lowering, trying to end him. And suddenly a weapon in his hands. He tried to remember that power that flowed through him. He kneeled and placed his hand on the ground. He tried to focus as the boar got closer.

The ground around the area began to shake, but the boar kept charging right at Nico. Until a fissure began to open in the ground and the boar tripped and fell into it with the snow piling on top. Nico looked to see it still moving around, though it appeared to be stuck in the fissure.

Grover, Zoe, and Bianca joined them as Nico kept his eye on the creature. He knew it would get out soon. The hole wasn't so deep.

"This is a blessing," Zoe said.

"How?" Thalia asked.

"This," Grover said, motioning to the animal, "is our ride west."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is chapter 4. I hope you enjoy my additions and alterations. Next chapter will be pretty different, so I hope you like.


	5. Harsh Thuths

The questers rode the boar from the mountains and across the desert. When the boar stopped for a drink, they all agreed it was the ideal time to lose their ride and left the swine to eat and drink before it ran back east.

They came upon a ghost town with a huge junkyard in their path. They all decided to rest for the night before trying to venture the junkyard. As they were setting up, Nico saw Grover looking saddened again.

"What's wrong? I know you liked the boar, but we had to leave it."

"It's not that; all animals should be free," Grover said, "It's just that fight... The demigods...Thalia said they tried to kill us."

"Yeah," Nico said, remembering the fight.

"Annabeth told me that when she was travelling with Percy, he said he was protecting demigods, and even training them. And now they tried to kill us," Grover cried, "Do you think he told them to?"

"Look, Grover, I don't know this Percy very well," Nico admitted, "He saved my life, but he's working with the bad guys." Nico could see he wasn't making things better for the poor satyr, and remembered something.

"However," Nico said, "those guys we fought, they seemed to be arguing. When the big kid told the others to kill us, and one of them said they were disobeying orders. I don't know if that helps, but maybe…"

Grover's lifted his head and turn to look at Nico, "You think Percy doesn't know?"

"I'm not sure," Nico answered, "Um, Grover, what is Percy like?"

"Well, he was a great friend," Grover said, thinking back to his days as protector and travelling companion to the son of Poseidon. very brave and courageous."

"I saw that when he saved us."

"He was also very loyal to those he called his friends."

"Until he betrayed you guys, right?"

"Yeah. I guess after his first quest, he was very hurt. But he and I shared an empathetic connection."

"A what?"

"We could feel each other's emotions and sometimes even see what is happening with the other."

"Cool, can you still do that? Maybe figure out what is happening at the enemy's base?"

"No, after our quest, I could not connect to him like that. I could still sometimes feel him if he is especially angry, or sad, or happy. But our connection isn't that strong anymore. I do know that he still cares for us. That's why I can't believe he would try to kill us."

"Well, I hope you're right."

"So do I. By the way, that was some quick thinking, trapping the boar. How did you know you could do that?"

"I didn't. I remembered back at the museum how I called on a weapon from the floor, and thought maybe I have Earth powers. I figure what could I lose. We were almost trampled anyway so I imagined I was playing Mythomagic, and pulled a geomancy card and used it to trap the pig."

"Interesting. Maybe you might be a child of some minor Earth god, or maybe even Demeter, since technically plants and such come from the Earth."

"Really? You think so?" Nico asked, a little eager.

"It's certainly possible," Grover answered.

After the campsite was set up, the group discussed various things. Grover said he was confident the wild boar was sent by the lost god, Pan, who many satyrs had been searching for. They talked about theories as to why Bianca was able to kill a skeleton, but nothing conclusive was discovered.

And as they discussed where to head next, Zoe mentioned Las Vegas, but Nico and Bianca had disagreed with that strategy. They explained how they have some recollection of staying there and Grover was the first to realize that the Di Angelos were victims of the Lotus Hotel and Casino, a place where time stood still as one remained distracted by the games and attractions. And it soon became apparent that Nico and Bianca had spent the last seventy years trapped there before someone pulled them out of the hotel.

They had no idea who helped them or why they didn't remember much of their life before. So with no answers, the group decided to call it a night and rest before venturing into the junkyard.

At dawn, they began to move through the scrapheap. It took only moments to realize that this was no ordinary landfill. Sure, there were the usual junk, like broken refrigerators and discarded bicycles, wrecked cars, various clothes and such. But there were also broken chariots, disposed Greek armor, shields and swords. Bianca even got a hold of a Hunter's bow, which shrank and turned into a hair clip. Zoe immediately ordered Bianca to put it back. They were in the junkyard of the Gods, where everything was possibly defective.

They continued to move closer and closer to the end of the junkyard, to the highway. They just needed to pass what looked like a pair of giant metal feet, hanging out of one of the huge piles of trash. As they worked their way around, a broken-down car rolled down the pile, forcing the companions to jump out of the way to avoid getting run over.

"Found you," James said, with a sneer at the top of the pile. His companions appeared from other areas of the site, ready to attack. The campers armed themselves and charged at the traitors.

Grover held back, summoning vines to help, but the child of Demeter, Samson, was able to turn the vines back on him and entangle the poor satyr. It was four against four, with James viciously attacking Nico. Like before, Nico was able to handle himself quite well. During the fight, the two were driven up one of the largest piles of garbage. James gave Nico a powerful kick, pushing him down the hill, towards the highway. Nico had some superficial cuts on his body from rolling over various objects. He looked up and saw James smile almost triumphantly, when suddenly, there was a crunching sound of a thousand compactors crunching metal. Everyone stopped fighting, turning to see the huge mountain of trash begin to move. James soon tried to run off the pile before he too fell as the pile began to rise. All the trash began to fall off, with the group having to jump out of the way as not to get buried. Nico ran to rejoin his friends.

One of the rogue demigods wasn't so fortunate, as they were buried under an avalanche of garbage. Nico got a better look, seeing it wasn't the junk itself moving but something beneath it. The structure resembling legs were actual legs and they were connected to something. A skyscraper sized machination that looked like a giant metal human robot.

"Talos," Zoe gasped.

"James, we need to go," one of the demigods shouted.

The Talos turned its sights on James, who was standing alone, looking nervous, but defiant. The Talos took out its sword and began moving towards him. James dodged the sword, and tried to cut the thing in the back of the "foot" with no effect.

The questers stood back and tried to clear a path out. James' companions tried to help him, but they were easily swiped away with a swing of the giant arm. The last Nico saw of James was him vanishing beneath the heel of the giant, as it turned its attention to the questers.

The group split apart and tried to get some distance of it, running in different directions. Nico felt someone roughly pull him up and he was looking at a very angry Thalia.

"You took something."

It was not a question.

"I just grabbed one thing. Nothing that could do real harm. I was curious, but I swear I was going to leave it behind before leaving," he pleaded.

"What is it?"

Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a small Mythomagic statue.

"It's a rare one. The only one I never got. I just wanted to see. I wasn't going to take it, but we got into a fight and…"

"Nico," Thalia said in frustration. Before she could continue, the Talos approached them. As Grover tried to restrain it with vines, Nico saw an entrance, beneath the foot of the machine.

"Look," he said, pointing to the entrance.

"Okay, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if I can get in there, I might be able to destroy this thing from inside."

"Woah, you?" Thalia asked in disbelief, pulling him back before he could charge in.

"Look, this is all my fault, I know that. So please let me fix it."

"No way. You're still too new. I have to do this."

"No way," Nico complained, "I have to. It's only fair."

"Our life is never fair," Thalia said, standing up, grasping her spear.

The Talos was right on top of them, when it raised its foot, revealing the passage. Nico did not see Thalia, as he made a run for it. He ran until he was stopped by his sister.

"She's inside," he heard Zoe shout. Nico did not know what was happening, but he turned around and saw sparks begin to shoot out up the Talos' leg.

It continued to move, and the group ran out towards the highway. The Talos tried to pursue them, but its movements became more erratic. Finally, it stopped, starting to vibrate as electricity started shooting from its head. It dropped the sword and finally the head exploded, with the rest of the body falling to pieces.

Nico fell to his knees, with his eyes widened. He knew no one could've survived that mess. And he had this feeling in his gut that he just knew, without a doubt, Thalia was gone. The whole world felt unreal as he tried to think his next thought.

After several minutes, he felt Bianca touch his shoulder.

"Nico…"

"She's gone," he said, "She died…because of me."

"Nico, that's not-"

"It's true. This is all my fault," he said, then reaching into his pocket, finding the Mythomagic statue of Hades, "Me and my stupid game!" he screamed, throwing the statue away with all his might.

"She knew her risks," Zoe said, "She accepted the quest, knowing she might not come back. She will always be remembered."

"Screw her memory," he shouted, "She didn't have to die."

Zoe marched over and grabbed him roughly, "You are right, she didn't. It could have been any one of us. But she made her choice. We still have a mission, and the best way you can honor her memory is to live on, and finish this quest."

Grover came over to attend to some of Nico's injuries as Bianca and Zoe mended their own.

"Nico, I am sorry," Grover said. Nico just stared blankly for a few moments as Grover helped him up.

"I get it now," Nico said lightly, to no one in particular, "Not a game."

* * *

Percy's empathy link with Grover might have been dulled since he joined the titans, but it wasn't totally gone, and he could sometimes still feel the satyrs emotions. Like when Grover was scared in battle, or thrilled when he believed he felt Pan. But the most recent surge from the link was one Percy felt in full force. It was the same terrible sense of shock and loss that he had felt when he thought his mother was killed by the Minotaur, and he was certain that something awful had happened to the questers.

It wasn't much longer until, finishing his daily ride with Blackjack, he got a call on his cell. True, modern communication devices attracted monsters, but when one already works with monsters, the point is somewhat moot. And since Iris Messages involve invoking a god's favor to communicate, there was a risk that other gods might bug the line.

Percy flipped open the phone, "Yeah?"

"Percy, sir, it's me, Samson," the voice on the other end said.

"Hey Samson. What's happening?" Percy asked. He waited for about a minute, hearing nothing but dead air, "Samson, what's going on?"

"They're…gone, sir," Samson said, sounding nervous, "I…the others…they're dead."

"Woah, wait," Percy said, trying to find the next thought, "Who's gone, Samson?"

"My team. They're all dead, sir" Samson answered in his weak voice.

"Enough with the 'sir'! What, the Hades happened?" Percy said, ignoring the fact he said a god's name.

Samson began explaining how they tracked the questers down and how they attacked the demigods at the ski village.

"I told James, specifically, not to hurt them. What was he thinking?"

"Sir, I should tell you that James was a very ambitious person. Always trying to prove himself."

"And he thought killing them would make me proud?"

"Not you…Kronos…or Atlas. James thought he'd impress them by delivering the child of Zeus to them."

Percy thought about his decision when he put James in charge. It was true that James was ambitious. He worked hard to better himself and took to training faster than most other demigods. It was why Percy had put him in charge. He thought it would be a good chance for James to prove himself as a leader. But Percy never thought James would try to go over his head and help the titans. He really did not think James would kill for a chance to advance.

"Okay, so you guys tried to kill them. Then what?"

Samson continued his story. James was determined to take down Nico for humiliating him when Nico struck him at the Smithsonian. The demigods got away on a giant boar, and Samson performed a guiding spell to track them down to a junkyard. He mentioned the fight and then the giant robot that attacked them.

"I was able to survive, but the others were not so lucky."

"I'm sorry Samson. I should've been there. Maybe I could've done something about it."

"Sir," Samson said, "There was something else. I saw pieces of the machine scattered outside the junkyard. But I also found another body. It was the girl we tried to capture. Thalia."

Percy's eyes widened. Thalia, a child of the Big Three, the one who the prophecy favored, and a good friend of Luke and…Annabeth. He felt a sickening stir in the pit of his stomach.

"Samson," he struggled, "You should come back. There's nothing else you can do."

"I'm sorry, sir but I can't. We let you down, and I will not give up. I owe you more than that."

"Samson," Percy said.

"I'm continuing the mission. I cast another tracking spell, and they are heading toward the Hoover Dam, so I should catch up to them there. I won't confront them. I'll stay behind like you asked and keep you updated. I'll call you later."

"Sam-" Percy heard a click as the line disconnected and snapped his phone shut, dreading his next conversation, but unable to avoid it.

"You're sure?" Luke asked, his voice unsettlingly calm.

"Yeah, I'm sure"

"How can you be sure it's her," Luke interrupted, "I mean, these demigods are still rather new to this and-"

"I trust Samson."

"Like you trusted James. The one who disobeyed your orders? Samson's word means nothing! It's-"

"Luke," Percy said, firmly, though tried to be gentle, "It's true. I'm sorry."

Luke looked down at the table, filled with maps, plans, and other things…until Luke swiped all of them off the table while screaming. He grabbed some random vase and threw it at a wall, and it shattered on impact.

Percy backed away nervously, as Luke took out Backbiter, and swung aimlessly at some random objects. Until he was crouching down in exhaustion, breathing heavily, leaning on the hilt.

"Luke, I'm so sorry," Percy said as he approached the child of Hermes. He looked at Luke, searching for a reaction, but Luke's eyes seemed so empty.

"I guess the prophecy can't be questioned now," he said in an informative, cold manner, "You will decide the fate of Olympus."

"It's not important-"

"Yes it is, Percy. Fate is firmly in your hands now. You're our hope."

Things were silent until Luke said, "You should try and find out where the campers are now. We have to know more."

"Samson is still following them right now" Percy said.

"Good, tell me if something develops," Luke said, about to leave.

"Wait, what about Annabeth?" Percy said.

"I'll talk to her," Luke said.

"I could tell her-"

"No!" Luke shouted. Luke took a breath and seemed calm, "I should tell her. I owe her that much."

* * *

Percy waited patiently, but he just could not stand around any longer. Luke came back only a few minutes after telling Annabeth of Thalia's fate. He did not tell Percy much about his conversation with her; only that he tried to tell her gently, and that upon hearing the news, she demanded he leave her sight. Luke decided to give Annabeth a lot of space, but Percy thought different. He marched down to the dungeon and ordered the demigod guards to let him pass. He reached the cell and knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before opening it.

He peered in and saw Annabeth curled up on the cot.

"Annabeth-"

"Go away Percy," Annabeth answered with no emotion.

"I thought you might want some company right now," he said, stepping inside.

"Get out," she said, in the same tone.

Percy still did not move. He walked up to side and kneeled down to her level.

"You really do have seaweed for brains. I don't want to talk," she said, with a little more aggression.

"You don't have to. But I don't want you to be alone right now."

"Whatever," Annabeth mumbled.

Percy just sat there, trying to keep himself occupied, and thought of something.

"She did seem pretty tough. Thalia, I mean. She kept me on my toes when we fought. But honestly, I would've won in the end. She was so lucky that we were interrupted. I would've wiped the floor with her."

Annabeth sniffed, "Yeah right. I'm sure she just didn't want to upset Grover by killing you, so she held back."

"No way. She might have been Zeus's kid, but she was dumb to try and face me without help."

"She was always so strong, and willing to take risks," Annabeth said, now more solemnly. She went quiet for a moment. "I just…I can't believe I lost her again. I…I have no one, now."

"You have me," Percy answered.

"Great, I have my personal warden," she said sardonically.

"Warden, protector, eye candy… friend. Whatever you want to call it, you've got me."

Percy suddenly heard her cry and quickly moved to her side. Surprisingly, she did not push him away but curled up to him.

"I miss her," she said, "I'll never see her again."

"I'm so sorry. I wish…I just want to help."

"Just stay here for a minute, please."

He held her for several minutes before she thanked him and told him to get out. This time he obeyed.

"Annabeth," he said, turning to look at her, "No matter how this war turns out, I'm still going to be your friend."

He couldn't tell, but he swore he saw a nod from her as he left as the guard closed the door behind him.

"Quite the predicament you put us in," Thorn said, appearing around the corner as Percy turned into the corridor.

"I'm not in the mood," Percy said in a threatening voice.

"Well, I won't be here long," Thorn said, unfazed, "Just wanted to thank you for that display your soldiers gave. Now they're dead and we don't have the daughter of Zeus."

"Thanks for your opinion. I'll be sure treasure it," Percy said in a bitter tone.

"You know you really messed up. Badly. I knew you were going to be trouble, and the General knows it, now."

"So why don't you just kill me? Oh wait, you can't. Because of the prophecy."

"You're right, I can't touch you. But the General was not pleased to hear about the death of the Zeus kid, so I am to tell you to back off."

"And what if I don't?"

"I've given orders to my troops. They are to locate and eliminate the campers and Hunters," he said, "along with anyone who might possibly get in the way, including your precious recruits. So stay out of my way."

"Whatever," Percy said, before charging past Thorn.

Once Percy was out of sight, he pulled out his phone. He searched for Samson's number, but then he had a terrible thought: if Samson was no longer safe from monsters, calling him could only draw more monsters to him. Percy already lost a few members, but he could not lose anyone else on this mission. Even a simple text could draw unwanted attention to him. And, of course, IM was out of the question. He needed to warn Samson to get away, but how?

And Percy remembered he did have another option. Not bothering to pack he ran outside and called out.

"Blackjack!"

Percy heard the beating of wings as the black pegasus landed in front of him.

_You called, boss?_

"Blackjack, I'm going to need your help getting me to Nevada, and fast. How soon can you get there?"

_As fast as you need me to, boss. Where to?_

"We're heading to the Hoover Dam."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Thalia's gone. Sorry. But it needed to be done.


	6. Need Some Dam Help

{Nico POV}

It was a rough trip for Nico and the others. The first thing Nico did when he had the chance was burn all his Mythomagic cards at the nearest flame he could find, in the debris of the destroyed Talos. Bianca tried to stop and talk to him as he began, but he was not listening, as he continued tossing more cards into the flames. He didn't care. In a flash, that part of his life was over.

After acquiring a vehicle, they made their way west, with a somber mood filling the air. but the group continued onward until they reached an imposing structure, the Hoover Dam. Grover begged to visit it, saying that it was one of Annabeth's favorite structures and he wanted something to tell her about the quest that might put a smile on her face.

Nico agreed with Grover. While he didn't personally know Annabeth, he saw how depressed Grover had been since the junkyard. Nico could even say that Grover was in worst shape than he was, being long time friends with Thalia and all. So, Nico was willing for a side trip for sightseeing, if it would help Grover. The quest didn't need two miserable campers.

While everyone else went to the snack bar, he decided to take a walk outside. He had this unsettling feeling of something getting closer, so he took the time to keep watch. He looked down at the lake and felt a breeze.

"Mommy, horsey," a kid said, pointing upwards. While the kid's mom told him that he was imagining it, Nico looked up to where the kid was pointing and, indeed, there was a flying horse. A flying horse with a rider. Nico watched as the rider jumped off and plunged into the lake. Nico looked down to see if whoever jumped into the lake was alright. Suddenly, as Nico was moving closer, something burst out of the water and landed on the path in front of him. The dam-water splashed the floor, but there, standing bone-dry in the middle of it, was none other than Percy Jackson.

* * *

{Percy POV}

Percy and Blackjack flew far and fast, from California to Nevada. Thanks to his protections from either Kronos or one of his allies, Percy was not able to be seen in Zeus's domain.

Percy looked down to see a huge body of water, and the dam structure beneath him.

"This is good," Percy said to Blackjack, as he hovered over the water. Percy threw his legs around, "Remember, keep an eye out for my word, like we planned."

Good luck, boss.

Percy looked down and slid off the pegasus, as he began to shoot down into the water. As he got closer, he summoned the water beneath him to rise up to him and it slowed his fall, preventing him from hitting rocks at the bottom as he speared beneath the surface. He looked up and gathering his strength, he shot upward, with the water pushing him and he landed on the dam.

It seemed Blackjack was following the plan as he flew onto the other side of the dam, drawing the attention of some mortal kid, who drew attention away from the pool of water. Percy wondered which way to go and worked his way into the dam. But as he was turning a corner, he felt a force shove him forward. Percy turned around but saw no one there, but quickly felt the unseen foe as he was pushed down to the ground, with his assailant on top.

Percy could not reach Riptide, so he tried hitting in the air, randomly. He felt someone strike him on the side of his head as he continued to block.

"You'll pay," he heard a voice shout.

Percy had an idea where his attacker could be. In one swift motion, he was able to push the attacker off him and he was able to get on top, pinning the invisible assailant down.

Holding him down with his knee, Percy reached down and pull off the Yankee's cap and Nico appeared.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Get off me and I'll show you," he said, in almost a feral manner.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I'm not here to fight."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. I don't want to hurt you."

"Tell it to Thalia."

"Thalia? What do you mean?"

"You sent those skeletons and demigods after us. I saw you, and I know you're working with them. If you didn't send them, Thalia…."

"Nico, listen, I did not send the skeletons. And I don't want you dead. Any of you."

"Why should I believe you?"

"If I wanted to kill you, why would I care what you think?"

Percy looked up at the entrance, and his eyes widened. He saw armed skeletons moving towards them, getting ready to attack.

"We got to go," Percy said, pulling Nico up. Nico turned around and saw his foes and followed Percy's lead.

Once they were out of eye sight, Percy turned to Nico, looking at his eyes.

"Do you know where your friends are?"

"Get off me," Nico said, shaking Percy's hands off his shoulders.

"This is important. Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Okay, you need to get them and get out of here. I need your jacket."

"What?"

"They're following your scent and are looking for a demigod. I could distract them so you can find the others, but I need your jacket."

"I don't trust you."

"In general, I'm fine with that. But right now there are skeletons ready to kill you if you don't, and I still need your jacket."

Nico grumbled and took off his jacket, handing it to Percy. Percy waved Nico away and he ran to the snack bar, while Percy pulled out Riptide.

He pressed the button to the elevator, and waited as the skeletons came around the corner. Percy wrapped Nico's jacket around his waist, since it wouldn't fit him, and hoped that with Nico's scent, and a little antagonizing, he could draw them away.

The skeleton charged and Percy attacked. He dodged their bullets and got up close, hacking off their limbs. He heard a ding and turned to see the elevator doors open. He ran into the elevator, and as the doors closed, he saw the skeletons begin to reassemble.

He leaned against the elevator, as it traveled down, and hoped the others would be able to escape.

Another ding and the elevator doors opened. Percy saw a long corridor, and people from a tour group with a ranger. He heard another ding from the second elevator, and knew he had to run again.

He moved through the tunnel and tried to subtly pass the people. When he had a second to breathe, he dropped Nico's jacket, hoping he bought enough time for Nico to get away. In his escape, he was all flustered and he suddenly heard a noise behind him that resemble a skeleton voice. Without thinking, he swung Riptide at the figure.

All to no effect, as it passed straight through the red-haired girl, leaving her unharmed.

"Woah," she yelped, "What do you have against people blowing their nose?"

"Sorry," he said, "I thought you were someone else."

"Who did you want to cut in half?"

"It's not-" Percy began, before realizing something, "Wait a minute. You can see the sword?"

"Of course I can see it."

"You're mortal?"

"Yeah, what else would I be?"

The girl began asking Percy all these questions. Questions he had no time to answer, and she would not have been safe if he had answered. But he did have an idea. He only hoped she was still ignorant enough to be unnoticed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really need to go. I don't know who you are-"

"My name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, thank you for asking," she said sarcastically.

"Look, I don't have time. I really have to go, so-"

Percy stopped, when he saw her eyes widen, looking behind him.

"Bathroom!" she said.

"What?"

"Behind me, now!" she said and moved over as she pushed him into the boys bathroom behind her and closed it.

Percy was confused, but he heard the noise of the skeletons outside. He heard her berating the skeletons, disguised as security, saying that she was attacked and that Percy that he ran off somewhere. Percy heard the noise die down and took the opportunity to step out.

"Thanks," Percy said, "I owe you, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"What are those things?" she demanded.

"The only thing I can tell you is that you should forget everything you saw today."

"How can you say that? Do you really think I could forget everything I just saw?"

"For your own safety, yes. Knowing these things is very dangerous, especially for mortals."

"You called me a mortal again. What about you? Aren't you a mortal?"

He exhaled in annoyance, "Trust me, on this. Just forget it."

"Who are you?"

He was just going to tell her to stop asking.

"Sir," someone called out. Percy turned around and saw Samson run up to him.

"Sorry, I've gotta go," He said, and ran over to Samson, not looking back. Even so, he was surprised to run into a mortal who could see through the Mist. Most mortals, even ones who could see through Mist, were susceptible to the manipulation of Mist if a god or demigod forced it to blind the mortal to the weird happenings, yet she was completely immune to it. But he had to worry about that later.

"Samson," Percy shouted, seeing the demigod, "Thank goodness you're safe."

"Of course, sir. I've been keeping my distance. But what about you? Why are those monsters attacking you?" Samson asked.

Percy explained the situation to Samson, and the young demigod looked down, "It's my fault. If I just stood up to James, none of this would have happened."

"Samson," Percy said, "I was the one who put James in charge. It was me who should've seen that he was more faithful to the titans than me. You were following orders and you tried to talk him down. This is not on you."

"So what now?"

"Now…" Percy paused, thinking about the decision he was about to take. He realised that, having helped Nico and hindered the skeletons, he would no longer be welcome on Othrys. He had effectively declared war against the titans. And if he was no longer welcome there, then the protection he had been able to give Annabeth and the other demigods he'd been training would no longer apply either. He made his choice. "We have to go. They can come back any minute and they are not happy. And I have an important mission for you."

Percy pulled out a slip of paper with something written on it and handed it to Samson, "I told Blackjack to comeback for you. You need to have him take you to this address. I need you to meet with someone. I wrote some cliff notes that should catch his attention."

"But, what about the campers?"

"I will deal with them."

They heard the skeletons coming back.

"We need to go."

* * *

{Annabeth POV}

_"You have some nerve to ask this of me. Why do you constantly risk their wrath?"_

_"I know it is much to ask you, dear, but it needs to be done."_

_"Then do it yourself, husband."_

_"You know I can't. I can't get directly involved."_

_"So why not send one of your Kindly Ones."_

_"They would never arrive before the solstice."_

_"And you want me to risk punishment? Haven't I've sacrificed enough for you?"_

_"Please, I ask you, as your husband, do this for me? I promise that I will owe you any favor you ask?"_

_"This isn't some minor trifle, you are asking much of me."_

_"You are the only one I trust."_

_"Fine. I will do it. But you better remember this."_

_"When the solstice is over and this whole mess is past, I will owe you. I swear on the River Styx."_

Annabeth opened her eyes, wiping away any lingering tears from earlier. She thought about her dream. She recognized it as the Underworld, as well as the god Hades, and his wife, Persephone, whom she had seen during one of her previous trips to Olympus during the winter solstice.

Hades wanted Persephone to do something for him, but she couldn't figure out what it was. But for now, that did not matter. Annabeth knew she had very little time left before the first day of winter, and needed to get out.

'No better time than the present,' she thought.

Annabeth waited until the guard was close to the door. She placed a large piece of broken brick she pried from the wall, wedging it beneath the door and she threw a glass against the wall, before hiding behind the door. The guard looked in, to see where she was and began to open the door, carefully, with his weapon prepped. Then he unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. But it was suddenly jammed by the block as it was ajar and Annabeth quickly ran at the door and hit it with her strength and the surprised guard was struck between the door and the doorway. He collapsed and tried to get up, shaking his head from the injury, but Annabeth quickly pulled the door open and banged his helmed head hard against the stone floor until he was lost consciousness.

She pulled the key out of the lock, but saw it was just one key, probably only for the dungeon. She went in the direction where she saw light from the outside and opened the door. Sadly, while the door did lead outside, it was a walkway to another section of the fortress, with at least a hundred-foot drop. She looked and saw, from the distance, a way out from the building across. She didn't really have a choice and crossed the walkway.

She quietly snuck through corridor after corridor, trying to map out the place in her mind to find her way out. She heard whispers from some rooms, but nothing important.

She heard noises and hid behind a corridor. Annabeth really missed her baseball cap. Luckily, they were moving down a different corridor and Annabeth turned to get a better look.

But as she turned, she felt someone grab her from behind.

* * *

{Percy POV}

After Percy left Samson and walked to the other side of the dam, keeping an eye out for his pursuers.

"Wait don't-"

Percy heard someone yell in just milliseconds before an arrow nicked his shoulder. He turned around and saw Zoe grabbing her next arrow prepping her weapon, with Bianca having her bow armed, ready and steady. Nico and Grover were behind them, with Nico looking at Percy, sternly, while Grover appeared worried.

"The next one won't be a warning shot," Zoe told him.

"So, Nico, I see you found your friends," Percy said to the demigod.

"Silence traitor," Zoe said, "You aren't escaping, this time."

"I guess I'm not. Though I suggest we move, since we have with skeletons on our heel. They aren't very happy with me."

"Do you think we'd let you come with us?" Bianca asked.

"If you want to reach Mt. Othrys before the solstice, you will need me," he said with confidence, before hearing Zoe's bow tighten, "Look, you don't have much time left. The solstice is in a few days, and I know the fastest way to get to the base. Ways that would usually be hidden from you. I know all the shortcuts monsters use to travel quickly. We'd save ourselves a whole day of walking."

"And why would you help us?" Nico asked.

"We all have people we care for that are in trouble," Percy answered grimly.

"Annabeth's in danger?" Grover chimed in.

"Her, Luke, other demigods. They are in trouble. I know it."

"We don't have much time left before the solstice. If they think I'm a traitor, they could change the routes before we can use them."

Bianca lowered her bow but Zoe kept her arrow in place, clearly measuring her options.

"Zoe, please, he is telling you the truth. He wouldn't intentionally try to get us killed. I just know it," Grover begged.

"And if he can get us to the goddess sooner, the better. Saving her is our mission," Bianca said reluctantly.

Percy looked at Nico, who did not seem thrilled, and raised his shoulders up, "He helped me twice. I should say just kill him, but then I would be ungrateful. Just let him help us. If he tries anything, then we can kill him."

Zoe still held her bow but soon lowered it. She pulled out some rope, and handed it to Grover.

"Satyr, bind his hands and take away his weapon."

"Won't work," Percy said, "It always comes back."

"Just tie his arms," Zoe said, plainly, glaring at him, or specifically his sword, as he clicked it back into a pen.

Grover took the rope and tied Percy's hands in front of him, placing the pen in Percy's back pocket.

"Grover, can we talk later?" he said in a lowered voice.

Grover looked at his friend in the eyes and nodded, finishing the knot.

"Traitor, you lead," Zoe called, before addressing the group "Let's go."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I hoped you liked this chapter. Took a while, but we got it. Now Percy is part of the group now. Let's see where he'll lead.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and feel free to review :)


End file.
